iStockphoto / Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team will not play its previously scheduled matchup with Florida International on Tuesday. The game was cancelled five hours before first pitch.
Miami blamed Mother Nature for the sudden scratch. It was a phony cover for what everyone knows to be the true cause.
The Hurricanes aren’t fooling anyone!
Miami baseball won’t play FIU.
The Canes and Panthers were set to start at 6 PM ET in Coral Gables on Tuesday. That game will no longer take place.
Miami released an update on the game status at 1 PM. It referenced overnight rain in its reasoning.
“Due to overnight conditions in the Coral Gables area last night, the playing surface has been deemed unplayable.”
It was word salad to divert attention from the real excuse.
There was rain in South Florida on Monday night. Rainfall at the University of Miami was reported at 0.26 inches. The showers never exceeded 0.08 inches/hour in force.
It was a sprinkle.
The Weather Insurance Agency defines a 0.25-inch rainfall as follows:
A light rain for 2-3 hours, moderate rain for 30-60 minutes or heavy rain for 15 minutes. There would be many puddles on the ground, and they would not disappear easily.
The rain stopped around 6 PM last night. There was plenty of time to clear the field of precipitation, even if the grounds crew forgot to tarp the night before.
So, what was the real reason for the cancellation?
RPI concerns.
Miami is ranked 33rd in college baseball’s RPI standings. They are currently 33-14 with a 13-11 mark in ACC play. The top 35-40 teams will typically earn at-large postseason bids.
If the season ended today, the Hurricanes are likely in the NCAA Tournament field. They do not want to risk falling.
FIU is ranked 221 in RPI. A loss to the Panthers would stain the resume. A win could even hurt the Hurricanes.
To avoid a tumble down the standings, they cancelled the contest altogether. It’s become a trend in college baseball this season.
ACC rival NC State did the same earlier this week to an HBCU foe. Michigan, meanwhile, swapped a game with Dayton last month for a matchup against Miami (OH), which it later lost.
With RPI weighted so heavily be the selection committee, it’s a trend unlikely to stop. Some teams have been up-front about their reasons for cancelling. Miami found a scapegoat.